


Get it Right This Time

by MuffinBrain



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, might be a bit angsty to start, other characters will be added, time jumps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-05 01:44:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinBrain/pseuds/MuffinBrain
Summary: Angela Ziegler is quite satisfied with her new life, where she leads a team of field medics who aid victims of violent conflict around the world.  When Winston issues a recall for Overwatch agents, she refuses to join the now rogue organization.  She struggles in putting her personal grievances with them aside, even years after resigning from her position as head of medical research.Can anything (or anyone) change the doctor's mind?This story will jump back in time for a bit to show some of Angela's experience with Overwatch before it returns to present day.





	1. Prologue

_Year 2076 - Amarah, Iraq_

Refusing them came easy to her. First, she ignored the Overwatch recall message for days until Winston finally reached her by phone. Her former scientific colleague tossed his best sales pitch her way, but it failed to persuade her. She explained her reasons for the refusal and held nothing back; insisted he was making a mistake by reforming the organization. Not just a mistake but committing a crime even. The Petras Act still forbade them from organizing under the Overwatch banner.

It wasn't worth the risk; not worth leaving what she built here. She took pride in her humanitarian work of managing a group of combat medics, trained to deploy her healing technology on the front lines of battle. 

It was one reason Dr. Angela Ziegler left Overwatch in the first place. To their credit, the organization provided her with the opportunity to take her research further; she owed them that much. But in the end, she couldn't continue to support them politically. At one point, Angela drafted a proposal to form a special agency within Overwatch, which would focus on promoting peace around the globe through education and diplomacy. That was a long-term goal. Short-term, it could provide swift humanitarian aid to those most in need, no matter the politics involved. The U.N. and Commander Morrison ultimately rejected the proposal. Both parties claimed they lacked the funding at that time (even though they still managed to find money for any of Blackwatch's pet projects). 

No, they had the funds. It was all political bullshit.

Between their denial of a personal dream of hers and other questionable decisions from the organization’s leadership, Angela finally left Overwatch. She vowed to realize at least some of her vision, and recruited like minded individuals who desired helping people most in need, even when those in power deemed it “politically inconvenient”.

She vowed to never go back to Overwatch. Not that they lasted much longer after that, but that all changed with the recall message. 

A few months later, on a sweltering summer afternoon, Lena Oxton appeared outside her tiny apartment near Amarah. The British woman hit her with a more emotional plea than her gorilla friend had earlier. Her eyes misted as she relayed details of her involvement in trying to prevent Mondatta’s assassination. Angela always cared for Lena and the story moved her deeply, but in the end she refused her old friend's request to join them again as an Overwatch agent. She spared Lena the details of why she left, however. The optimistic young woman deserved better than listening to Angela air the old, dirty, Overwatch laundry. Lena still had hope for them.

Three months passed since the day Lena paid her a visit, and she assumed they finally gave up on her. Today, Angela stood over a gravely injured soldier; a young man filled with a dozen bullet holes. With brows furrowed, her blood coated, gloved hands worked to remove the bullets from his body.

In a few hours, the soldier was in stable condition, resting in a small cot inside the tent designated for recovering patients. Angela planned to grab some rest of her own after washing up. She took a quick shower and scrubbed away the blood that managed to reach the skin of her forearms. She tossed on her pullover sweatshirt and jeans in a hurry, then headed to the barracks in the northern section of their makeshift base of operations. 

_Time to hunt for an empty bed…_

One of her medical assistants named Tobias stopped her in the hallway just outside the door to the medical team’s humble living quarters.

 _Ugh, so close_.

“I'm sorry, Dr. Ziegler. Did I catch you at a bad time? Ah...you have a visitor. She's been waiting for over an hour now while you were in surgery. I can tell her you're unavailable today if you need me to,” the young, red-haired man addressed her with the ghost of apprehension haunting his voice. 

The man's offer to send the visitor away tempted Angela but she also found herself curious.

Angela quirked her right brow, “Who is she?” 

“She claims to be a friend of yours, ah...Fareeha Amari.”

Angela felt as if Tobias dumped a bucket of ice water over her entire body. It wasn't the name she expected to hear or even wanted to hear. 

Angela pushed a deliberate sigh from her lungs to calm her nerves, “I have a few minutes to spare. Where is she?”

Tobias smiled and pointed to his left, towards the waiting room located down the hallway perpendicular to this one.

“Of course,” Angela replied before coaxing her legs to start walking in that direction. They felt as if they sunk deep into mud.

Why the hell did Fareeha want to see her now after all this time? They last spoke to each other six years ago, just days after Angela left Overwatch. Their parting words were far from a warm, tear-filled goodbye, with promises to keep in touch. In fact, they argued. Angela would never forget how Fareeha stormed out of her tiny apartment in Geneva.

But things between them weren't always that way.


	2. Eight Years Ago - Part 1

_Year 2068 - Overwatch HQ - Geneva, Switzerland._

In days like these, Angela regretted her decision to join Overwatch.

Today’s _wonderful_ frustration: After collaborating with Torbjörn for months on a project to develop alternate methods to deliver her healing technology, he finally revealed the blueprint depicting his first prototype.

It was a high-powered sniper rifle; far from what she expected or hoped for.

Angela protested the design, tempering herself before further inquiring into his reasons for incorporating her technology into a literal weapon; even when their agreement strictly prohibited the creation of such a device. He assured her that the rifle would only be used for healing.

_Of all the contraptions this so-called brilliant inventor could have conceived of, he chose a damn sniper rifle. Really? But oh wait, not only did he design the sniper rifle, but there’s a biotic grenade too! Or as he described it: “a short-ranged alternative”._

Did she trust his word? Honestly, Angela trusted Torbjörn, but other elements within the organization proved less worthy of her faith. Commander Morrison afforded Gabriel Reyes and his secretive Blackwatch team too much freedom to do as they please, in her opinion. If Reyes wanted to weaponize her technology, no one could really stop him and worse, she wouldn’t even know about it.

If Torbjörn’s biotic sniper rifle proved successful in quicky delivering capsules filled with her healing tech to the targeted individual, how difficult would it be for someone to replace the capsules with nano-technology that instead degraded cellular structure? Angela never developed this tech herself, but Overwatch owned her research, and by extension, so did Blackwatch. It would hardly surprise her if she discovered they ran secret research projects under everyone’s noses.

These kind of anxieties kept her up at night.

Angela checked the digital clock on the microwave in the lounge. 

_17:34_

It was too early for bed, but she needed a caffeine boost to get her though the remainder of the evening. She shuffled over to the coffee machine sitting next to the microwave. The large round pot still sat on the burner, half-filled from the last time she made herself coffee hours ago. Angela grabbed a clean, blue, ceramic mug from the cupboard nearby. She tried to recall where she left the mug she drank from this morning. It was likely still sitting on a desk in her office, with a few sips of cold coffee and some dregs left over. She promised herself to clean it up later as she poured a cup of the lukewarm coffee and then placed the mug into the microwave to heat it up. It wasn’t fresh but it would do the trick.

Angela watched the mug turn and turn inside the microwave until it signaled the completion of its sacred reheating duty with a beep. She reached down to press the large, green button at the bottom of the touch screen, but the sound of her name from behind stopped her from opening the door and grabbing that much needed drink.

Angela turned around swiftly and her eyes met those of Ana’s daughter, Fareeha Amari, who must have just entered the lounge seconds ago. She wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt with the Egyptian Army logo printed on the front. Angela suddenly remembered Ana mentioning Fareeha planned to visit her soon. Not by Fareeha’s choice, though. Her commanding officer forced her to finally use up some of the leave time she accrued over two years of service. Angela met Fareeha a few times before today, when she visited Ana in the past while away attending university in Canada. This was the first time Fareeha returned since joining the military, however.

“Sorry, am I interrupting your dinner?” Fareeha asked. A friendly smile spread across her lips.

“Fareeha, hello! Wow, we haven’t seen each other in...has it been two years now?” Angela glanced over the woman’s physique. Yes, definitely more fit than the last time she saw her. “No, I wasn’t eating...just making...er, reheating a cup of coffee. I’d offer you some but it’s old and probably disgusting.”

Fareeha chuckled, “Yeah, it would be two years in a few months. It’s great to see you again, Angela...and, I’ll pass on the coffee. I only came for a snack.” 

She strode further into the lounge and walked to the right, towards the large, standing cabinet that stored dry foods and ingredients for the agents that lived in nearby apartment rooms. 

“I bet there’s some cookies in here or chips? Either will do,” Fareeha speculated before swinging the cabinet door open.

“I’m sure there is but aren’t you planning on eating out somewhere with your mother tonight? Or is she busy?”

“Nah...” Fareeha answered quietly. Angela heard the sound of plastic crinkling as Fareeha grabbed a bag out of the cabinet. “Yes, this will do.” She then spun to face Angela, eyes flooded with satisfaction and a bag of cookies in hand.

Angela’s eyes hurriedly studied the other woman’s form again. With her t-shirt snuggled tight to her upper body, one could tell she underwent an intense physical training regimine in the military. This wouldn’t afford many opportunities to snack on junk food. Angela loved sweets herself, and would absolutely understand if Fareeha devoured the entire bag of cookies for dinner. 

She lifted her eyes to meet Fareeha’s, but they searched the bag intently for a means to tear it open. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something odd was happening between Fareeha and Ana; the two had no plans even though it’s been years since they spent time together. Angela knew it wasn’t her place to press but sometimes curiosity trumps common sense. 

“I’m glad you found some nourishment, Fareeha, but it’s your first night here. I would’ve figured you’d be out somewhere special and not eating cookies that are likely stale.”

While Angela finished her comment, Fareeha managed to tear the bag open. She pulled out a cookie and bit off a piece, “No, not stale….” She finished chewing before continuing, “...and I have plans for later. I’m meeting some old friends that grew up around here. Jesse might go out too, if he can get away from Gabriel. Oh, and Reinhardt’s coming as well. He wanted to compare stories with me.”

“You’re not spending time with your mother?”

Fareeha’s face turned sour as she stared at the half-eaten cookie still in her hand. After a few seconds of silence, she finally looked at Angela and answered, “No, I’m trying to spend as little time as possible with her this week. Just counting down the days until I leave to go visit my dad.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you two were ah…” Angela failed to find the right words and felt like an ass for butting her nose in.

Fareeha finished for her. “Arguing? It’s nothing new, trust me. We’ve been doing this for years, since I began enlistment. This is just the first time it’s happened in person. I can tell you, she’s even worse when you’re in the same room with her.”

This comment struck Angela as odd. She personally had no issues with the captain’s mannerisms or personality. In fact, she was Angela’s favorite out of the three commanding officers in Overwatch. Commander Morrison often felt too distant, not surprising considering his busy schedule. Reyes was typically friendly and approachable but she didn’t fully trust the man or anyone affiliated with Blackwatch. She appreciated how Ana made up for their shortcomings, but, then again, she wasn’t her mother...

“I’m sorry,” Angela repeated. Neither spoke for a brief moment as they maintained eye contact. Fareeha’s deep brown eyes searched her own, as if expecting or maybe pleading for more words, for understanding. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Angela averted her gaze to the floor, resting to the left side of Fareeha.

“Well, you haven’t told me why you’re here drinking gross coffee this late in the day or is this a typical routine? A doctor thing?” Fareeha’s jest cut through the heavy silence. She obviously attempted to clear out the gloomy fog and lighten the mood. 

Angela sighed and glanced back over at the mug still confined to the microwave, “It’s usually a thing for this doctor, at least. Today wasn’t the best day for me, either. I guess I’m trying to avoid some people around here, same as you.”

She turned her gaze back to Fareeha, and found a mischievous grin on the woman’s lips. 

“You know, when I was a little girl, I had this special place...I’d go there when I wanted to be alone or hide out from my mum for a bit,” Fareeha chuckled. “You just reminded me of it.” She smiled and looked towards the ceiling, as if recalling a fond memory. “I haven’t been there since I left for college.”

“Well, you should tell me where it is. I could put it to use again,” Angela joked. 

Fareeha shrugged, “We could go there now. I have time to kill before I’m supposed to meet up with my friends. It’s better than hanging out here in the lounge. And I’ll bring cookies.” She held the bag up in front of her.

“I was only kidding, Fareeha. It’s tempting but I should be reading.”

“It’s only a few minutes away. It's outside where there’s fresh air and nice weather, finally.”

It did sound nice, Angela admitted, and the short walk could help cool her head. Any other day, she would have refused, but she wasn’t going to get much reading done while seething in her office.

“Alright, as long as it’s not far. I could use the walk.” 

“Come with me,” Fareeha smiled, beckoning her with a wave of a hand.

Angela followed her and they set off from the lounge to embark on their impromptu adventure.

* * *

Fareeha led her on some adventure indeed. It started in the modestly sized park located about a half a mile from the main Overwatch dormitory complex. Angela read about it once in a brochure and overheard colleagues talking about taking their young children there to play when the weather permitted. But she never visited herself, until now. 

With the sun setting over the buildings in the surroundings, the park appeared slightly different from the pictures in the brochure. As Angela walked with Fareeha along the narrow concrete path winding through the heart of the area, she began to recognize familiar landmarks around the torch-lit walkway. To her left was a playground area for young children, with standard equipment such as a swing set. A large pavilion area covered most of the park to their right. They walked further in and Angela discovered a small pond with long benches adorning both sides. A tiny brook, which originated from a forest at the far end of the park, trickled into it. From the hearsay Angela recalled about this place, the forest was shallow and marked the southern border of the Overwatch owned territory in Geneva. 

There was no denying it, the area was quite pretty at sunset.

While they walked along the paths leading to and through the park, Fareeha filled up most of the silence, regaling Angela with a couple of colorful stories about her youth spent on the base. Angela noted that the military didn’t seem to change her personality much. Granted, she only met Fareeha two or three times prior to tonight. During the weeks the younger Amari visited from college, Ana invited her team members to a dinner or a party, and even Angela managed to show for a few of them. She quickly discovered Fareeha possessed an open and warm personality; the type of person who went out of her way to try and set others at ease and make them happy. Even tonight, they traveled to this park on Angela’s behalf. 

When they reached the pond, Fareeha fell silent all of a sudden, and her eyes searched the entry of the forest. Thick leaves covered the trees within, yet Angela could see through a good distance as the forest was sparsely populated.

“We’ve almost made it. Well, kind of. We have a little ways to go through there,” Fareeha stated and pointed towards the forest.

“Wait, we’re going through the forest? You’re sure we won’t get lost?”

“I’m sure. I promise I still remember where I’m going…” 

Angela quirked her right eyebrow, “Really?”

“Ah...mostly. It’s not that big of a forest, Angela. We’ll figure it out,” Fareeha grinned.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t cross over the border and set off any alarms. There’s an invisible fence somewhere in here. The perimeter sensors are really touchy. Sometimes a small animal sets them off, but if the guards notice two humans on their cameras, we could get in trouble...maybe.”

“Now I’m trying to imagine how you managed all of this as a young girl. Did you set off the alarm at least once by any chance?”

Fareeha smiled proudly, “Nope. I’m a natural at scouting...or I just got lucky.” 

“Lucky indeed. Well, you lead the way then.”

“You’re not backing out?”

Angela smiled, “No, I’m doing everything in my power to avoid my problems tonight, remember? Getting lost in the woods would surely keep my mind off of them.”

“Great! Let’s go.”

And so Angela followed Fareeha into the deepening shadows among the trees. Fortunately, enough daylight remained to illuminate the path that her trusty scout forged through the woodland area. Angela took a deep breath to savor the fragrance of nature that surrounded them. It smelled—she didn’t know quite how to describe it—woodsy? Pine scented? Either way, the fresh, warm air surely helped her mood. She lost herself in the moment and almost forgot why she was upset early.

Almost.

Angela remained silent while they traveled, and Fareeha occasionally commented on a landmark she recognized. Angela suspected she did this more for her own benefit; to help her remember the correct path. The two walked for another minute before Angela caught sight of a clearing ahead. The setting sun poured a trace amount of light down into this small area. Angela thought she heard the sound of running water in the distance.

“Ah, we’re finally here. Notice I didn’t get us completely lost,” Fareeha proclaimed with a smirk as she walked ahead of Angela and stepped through into the clearing in front of them. “I never knew why this tiny part is cleared but I really loved coming here when I was little.” 

Angela joined Fareeha in entering the clearing. The place was truly gorgeous—the waning sunlight beaming in from above, the trees that surrounded them and sheltered them from the rest of the world, and the little stream that ran through the middle—this all added to her amazement.

A pleased sigh escaped her lips, “This place is really beautiful...and peaceful. I can see why you liked it so much.”

“Yeah,” Fareeha replied barely above a whisper, as if lost in her own thoughts. She snapped out of the trance in the blink of an eye, “I used to sit over there, by that tiny stream that runs through. It connects to one of the rivers that empties into the lake. There should be a big rock…” Fareeha jogged ahead towards the stream. Angela eyes greedily consumed her surroundings again for a brief time before joining her.

Fareeha did indeed find the “big rock” she once used as a seat while spending time in her forest hideaway. It was wide enough for both of them and Angela sat down on it next to her.

“This is the most impulsive thing I’ve done since joining Overwatch. Maybe even from before that,” Angela broke the silence first.

Fareeha’s eyes watched the ripples on the surface of the stream dance along past them. She spoke after a brief hesitation, “Yeah, Angela, I heard you don’t leave your lab or office much. Actually, that’s kind of why we’re here. My mom asked me to try and get you out of there sometime while I visited. She thinks you need a friend and is worried about your work habits...and the fact that all you have are work habits.”

“So, this is all Ana’s ploy to get me to do something ‘fun’ as she likes to put it?” Angela inquired but kept her tone light.

“Well, I agreed with her, so I’m in on it too. As she probably mentioned, I don’t do things just because she says so,” Fareeha flashed a smile that began on her lips and ended in her deep, brown eyes. Angela barely wanted to admit it, but the woman looked incredibly striking out here among the trees and the greenery, in the dim light of the setting sun

“I’m surprised you went along, though,” Fareeha continued. “But you aren’t having a good day. I’m betting it has something to do with that?”

“You would be correct, Fareeha. Honestly, I wouldn’t have come otherwise. It’s always difficult to pull myself away from my work, but I’m just really frustrated with things right now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

_Oh, would I ever. I could give you an earful, Fareeha_.

Angela sighed, “Yes but understand I can’t give you most of the details.”

“Sure, and I promise not to tell my mom if you say anything bad about her.”

Angela chuckled, “She already knows most of my grievances.”

“Then she should do more to help you,” Fareeha replied, her face now set with a stony expression.

“It’s not that simple,” Angela explained. She then proceeded to give Fareeha an incredibly vague recount of a few incidents that caused her the most stress recently. This included the business with the biotic rifle, minus the names of those involved and details about the weapon—yes, it was still a damn weapon no matter what Torbjörn said. It felt cathartic to put some of these emotions into words; and it was nice to speak with someone outside of Overwatch. As Angela vented, Fareeha listened in silence with the occasional nod of her head. 

The two talked and talked until the encroaching darkness reminded them of night approaching. Angela shared some of her problems—shared her doubts and disappointment with how others treated her, as if they didn’t take her seriously due to her relatively young age. Fareeha vowed things would get better once she joined Overwatch in a few more years. Angela doubted things would change so easily, but it was an appreciated sentiment. She kept that thought to herself, though. 

The conversation veered into discussing Fareeha’s life in the military until they decided to head back to the dormitory area due to night falling around them. Luckily, Fareeha carried a small flashlight that provided light for the trip back through the forest to the park. Once returning to base, they said their farewells outside the building housing Angela’s (and Ana’s) apartment and offices. Fareeha wasn’t returning just yet, as she had plans to meet up with friends off base.

“If I didn’t think you’d decline, I’d ask you to come out with us,” Fareeha called to Angela, as she walked into the courtyard leading to her apartment. 

Angela turned to face her, “Thanks, but you’re right. I’d say ‘no’. It’s late and I’m not a fan of crowds.”

“Well, I’m here for a week. Maybe two if I can put up with my mother. If you want to hang out or just get away from here, let me know.”

Angela smiled, “We’ll see. I might take you up on that offer. Be careful out there, Fareeha.” 

Fareeha returned the smile and waved. She then turned and walked away from Angela, who still stood in the courtyard. For a moment, Angela watched her disappear down the sidewalk before she decided to finally enter the dormitory building. Instead of retiring to her apartment, she headed to her office. On the way, she found herself wondering why Fareeha didn’t return to her quarters to prepare for her night out, grab a change of clothes at least. Of course, she still looked good, but people typically put a lot of time into their appearance before going out, right? Guilt struck Angela as she realized Fareeha was probably running late due to the two staying out in the forest for so long. She made a mental note to apologize later.

When Angela reached the door to her office, she entered and flicked the light switch. Her eyes squinted when the room flooded with bright, florescent light. She walked over to the large oak desk across from the doorway, and started searching for a portfolio full of diagrams and notes Torbjörn gave her earlier that day. After a quick glance over her messy desk, she found the red notebook right in front of her computer monitor. It sat underneath a white coffee mug, filled with a few centimeters worth of black liquid.

_Hmm...I thought I used that blue coffee mug today?_

Then it hit her. Angela remembered the other cup of coffee she abandoned. 

_Great. It’s been sitting in the microwave all night._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm using 2076 as present day in the setting (and the year of Winston's Recall). I found it on a really awesome timeline image and that's what I'm using for the date. 
> 
> I'm hoping other chapters will be a bit longer.


End file.
